Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut And Downton Abbey Share A Surprising Connection

Stanley Kubrick's influential oeuvre spans decades, genres, and tastes. Asking a cinephile which one of the temperamental filmmaker's body of work is their favorite is almost next to impossible. Some days, I remain steadfast in that "2001: A Space Odyssey" is not just Kubrick's best, it's one of the greatest films ever made. Other days, however, I find myself applying the same metric to the masterful career coda that is "Eyes Wide Shut." Based on Arthur Schnitzler's novella "Traumnovelle," the 1999 erotic drama is a spellbinding collision course of opulent sex fantasy and stone-cold reality, where the difference between one or the other lies in whatever Tom Cruise's Dr. Will Harford makes it to be. "Eyes Wide Shut" went from one of Kubrick's more divisive films upon its initial release to an undisputed masterwork of fear and desire. It's even receiving a 4K remaster from the good folks over at Criterion, set for release next month.

Every scene in "Eyes Wide Shut" is worthy of its own masterclass breakdown, but perhaps the most infamous sequence is Will's infiltration of a masked gathering for wealthy socialites. It's a spectacularly eerie tumble down the rabbit hole involving a ritualistic mass, a frightening confrontation, and orgies as far as the eye can see. Although "Eyes Wide Shut" takes place in New York, the film was largely shot throughout the UK on account of Kubrick wanting to stay local. The exteriors of the Long Island manor were shot outside the Mentmore Towers in Buckinghamshire, England, while large portions of the interiors, such as the main hall, were filmed inside Elveden Hall in Suffolk, England. But perhaps the most infamous portion of this sequence was shot at Hampshire's Highclere Castle, a location that should come as no surprise to fans of the ITV television phenomenon "Downton Abbey."

Plenty of movies and television shows have been shot at Highclere Castle, but "Downton Abbey" transformed the Victorian estate into an instantly recognizable location for global audiences. The interiors and exteriors became the central hub for the aristocratic Crawley family and their loyal downstairs staff throughout its entire run. I've seen "Eyes Wide Shut" god knows how many times now, but it didn't click until very recently that Highclere served as the interiors for the portion where Cruise walks through all of the different orgy rooms.

It was hard to believe I never noticed many of the same locations the Crawleys held balls and drank tea in across six series, five Christmas specials, and three feature films were previously filled with an array of naked party guests (via The Daily Mail). The three areas featured are the Entrance Hall, one of the Drawing Rooms, and the Library. It goes to show how well Kubrick was able to seamlessly metamorphose three different locations throughout the UK to resemble an estate that feels beyond our reach.

I find it hilarious that some lists about Highclere's production history tend to omit "Eyes Wide Shut" altogether, which makes sense given the series' pomp and circumstance (via WGBH). We wouldn't want Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville) to burst another ulcer, now would we? "Downton Abbey: A New Era," ironically enough, is partially about a silent film turned talkie being shot at the estate. If only the Crawleys knew what would be knocking at their doorstep over six decades later. The Countess Dowager (Dame Maggie Smith) would surely have some choice words about all of the exposed buttocks on the furniture.

"Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale" is now playing in theaters nationwide.